


Durian Kisses

by AtalantaPendragonne



Series: Matzoh Without Wheat [2]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Carlos is a Good Boyfriend, Cecil is a Good Uncle, Female Jewish Character, Fluff, Gen, Janice is a wheelchair user, Jewish Cecil, Jewish Janice, Khoshekh (Welcome to Night Vale) - Freeform, M/M, POC Cecil, POC Janice, Post-Cookies, Pre-Parade Day, SCIENCE!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-04
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-21 22:02:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1565579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtalantaPendragonne/pseuds/AtalantaPendragonne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cecil is taking care of Janice for the weekend, but Carlos needs to watch her for a few hours. Janice takes the chance to form her own opinion of Carlos. [Edited to incorporate information given in Old Oak Doors B]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Cecil hadn't told Carlos about Janice until she'd asked him to help her sell all those Girl Scout cookies. It had been a bit of a shock, but ultimately Carlos was relieved to know that keeping quiet about some things on the air was something Cecil was used to. It was a good precedent for every detail of their domestic life not being broadcast to the town once they finally got their place together.

And he'd made up for it in the meantime with an avalanche of anecdotes and photographs. Carlos wasn't sure how much of Cecil's praise was the doting hyperbole he tended towards, but the pictures showed a pretty child with a strong family resemblance to her uncle, with tidy cornrows and rich brown skin a few shades darker than Cecil's. She looked a bit wary in most group pictures but had a wide and lively grin in the solo pictures. Star of the collection was a professional portrait of Janice in her Girl Scout uniform, apparently trying her best to look dignified and grown-up.

Cecil's sense of timing could be a bit unfair. Downright diabolical, really. It was at the end of an extremely pleasant evening, when Carlos felt good all over and relaxed to the edge of sleepiness, that he chose to ask for a favor.

"I hate to ask," he said in his smoothest tones, "I especially hate to ask you. Normally I'd have asked Dana, or Old Woman Josie..."

Carlos flinched. This was already sounding bad. And probably hard to refuse.

"I'm taking care of Janice this weekend, but I have a meeting at the station when I need to pick her up, and I'm afraid it's likely to run late." A growl lurked under Cecil's calm voice as he mentioned the meeting, and Carlos suspected it would be an unpleasant one. "Would... my Carlos, my dearest Carlos, would you look after her for a few hours? I'll bring home dinner for the three of us after the meeting."

It was as bad as he feared, and he couldn't really refuse. Well, Janice was important to Cecil, which meant she was going to be in Carlos' life too. Looks like it was time to start. "Yes, but I don't know how good of a babysitter I'll be. When and where do I need to pick her up?"

Cecil's glowing smile almost blotted out Carlos' misgivings.

Friday afternoon saw Carlos in front of Night Vale Middle School, trying to spot the girl he'd only seen in pictures. He scanned the crowd of children anxiously, not seeing the face he was looking for until almost all the young citizens of Night Vale had dispersed. That was when he spotted her, lingering anxiously, and felt a sudden rush of sympathy. _Of course she's nervous, probably much more nervous than you are._ He waved and smiled, a smile he hoped would be friendly and reassuring. She looked just like her photos, although he hadn't expected quite so much pink - her sneakers, polo shirt, and backpack were all almost-matching shades of it. Even her wheelchair was a vivid, sparkling pink.

"Janice?" he said, hoping he sounded welcoming. "We haven't met yet, but I know Cecil told you I'd be picking you up today. I'm Carlos, and I'm glad to meet you." He held out a hand to shake.

She approached him smoothly, obviously familiar with every rough spot on the pavement, and looked at him a bit warily, but shook the offered hand. "Uncle Cecil talks about you all the time. I'm glad I can find out about you directly." When he didn't seem fazed by that, she smiled. 

Well, that was encouraging. "We have a few hours to fill, would you like a snack? We could go to the Pinkberry-"

"No!" Janice said fiercely, then looked a bit embarrassed at the outburst. "I'm sorry, I... I used to go to White Sand every Friday. That was the day they made my favorite flavor and now it's _gone_ and I'm not going to Pinkberry ever."

 _Shit._ The outburst had startled him but it made perfect sense. And there was something he'd been planning to surprise Cecil with that might be an even better treat for Janice. "What flavor do you like? I can make ice cream."

"They used to make durian ice cream on Fridays," she said sadly. "There's a place in town that sells whole durian but _Steve_ doesn't let me eat durian in the house, and I can't buy anything there anyway because I get my allowance in Strex scrip now and they still just take cash."

Carlos wasn't quite sure what durian was - it was a fruit, wasn't it? - but this was a problem he could solve. "I still get paid in cash," he told her gently. "I can buy durian to make ice cream with. Can you show me how to get to the store?"

The store, once they reached it, turned out to be a tiny Asian market. Janice made a beeline for the produce section and came back cradling what looked like a spiked wooden football.

"That looks like it would make a good siege weapon," Carlos said, but her wide grin was infectious. "You'll have to show me how to open it."

The durian sat in the car as they made their way through Ralph's to get the rest of the ingredients. At the register, Janice pulled a handful of Strex scrip - clearly her allowance, and said, "Because you bought the durian," firmly, as if expecting an argument.

And it _was_ Carlos' first instinct to argue, but her determined expression was so like Cecil's, and she was right, he _had_ bought the durian. So he smiled, and nodded. "That's fair enough."

"The stuff I need to make ice cream is in the lab, so we'll be going there," Carlos said as they got back into the car. "You don't mind that, do you?"

"I get to see the lab?" Janice was grinning unguardedly now. "That's so cool! Do you have microscopes and Bunsen burners and safety goggles and... and _everything_?"

"Not _everything_ ," Carlos said, unable to hold back a pleased chuckle, "But we have a lot of neat stuff, and I'll show you how some of it works if you like."


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janice gets to see the lab, and Carlos learns about durian.

Janice looked increasingly excited as they neared the lab, and Carlos couldn't help but return her eager smile. Making ice cream was going to be fun, but showing off the lab to a curious little girl was already making him feel proud.

"So, you like science?" he asked, pulling into a parking spot.

"Oh, yes!" Janice's face lit up. "I've been watching _Cosmos_ and it's really neat. Steve says there was another _Cosmos_ a long time ago but he never got the chance to see it so he's glad I get to watch it now."

Hunh - so Steve Carlsberg wasn't just some kind of ogre who denied little girls their favorite fruit. He lead her into the lab, expecting it to be empty, but Rebecca was there, bent over a microscope as usual. "Not going to Karaoke Friday?" That had become a kind of tradition among the scientists - one Carlos was always glad to find an excuse to avoid.

"Not until I live down trying to do a solo version of Bohemian Rhapsody," she said with a wry grin. Noticing Carlos wasn't alone, she straightened up and brushed ineffectually at a smudge on her labcoat. "Nice wheels! Are you Janice?" she asked.

Janice nodded shyly, staring at the microscope in fascination.

Noticing her intent gaze, Rebecca grinned. "I'm Rebecca. Have you used a microscope before? Would you like to take a look?"

"Oooh, can I? I've only seen microscopes on TV. I mean - I mean it's nice to meet you and yes, please, I would like to look!"

Carlos took the durian from her without waiting to be asked and she eased herself through the narrow space between lab tables eagerly to get a look at and through the microscope. Rebecca adjusted the microscope to allow for a shorter observer.

"I like your necklace," Rebecca said, noticing the Star of David Janice wore on a delicate gold chain. "It's like mine, see?"

"Thank you," Janice said automatically, and then, "You're the one who showed Carlos how to make matzoh balls, aren't you? My uncle told me someone showed him how."

"Good deduction! You're right." Rebecca gave the girl a conspiratorial grin. "And you're the one who was selling the Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookies! I need to buy more next year, I thought I had plenty and I've almost finished them. But you don't want to talk about that, you want to see the microscope." She stepped aside, giving Janice plenty of room.

Even with the eyepiece lowered, Janice had to stand on her toes to look down into the microscope. " _Wow_ ," she breathed. "What is it?"

"It's a soil sample," Rebecca told her. "Or, really, a sand sample. I've been comparing samples from different locations."

"Hey, I think I see a piece of shed snakeskin!" The girl sounded delighted.

"Well spotted," Rebecca said, sounding honestly impressed. "It's not a big enough piece for me to be sure what kind of snake it came from but from the size, probably not very big. Are you interested in snakes?"

Janice looked up, beaming. "I have a snake. Her name is Tiffany. She's a Strawberry Amel corn snake."

"Carlos, you didn't tell me she was a budding herpetologist!" She looked at Janice with interest. "I know what corn snakes are, but I don't know what Strawberry Amel is. Is it a special kind?"

Janice was glowing with pride. "It's a special color morph. I have a book on corn snake color morphs but it's old so it doesn't say what genes make a Strawberry corn but amel is amelanistic." She pronounced the word with care. "She's pink."

Carlos was interested as well. "One of my college roommates had a corn snake he called a ghost corn. I don't know much about corn snakes either, does your book have those?"

Delighted, Janice nodded. "I saw pictures of them and they look cool! You get one by breeding an... anry... I can't pronounce it but they don't have any red color that regular corn snakes have. Anyway you breed it with a hyp.. hyp _o_ melanistic snake. So it has the pattern of a regular corn snake but faint and on a pale background." It was clear she had no doubt the two scientists would know the terms she'd learned.

Babysitting was turning out to be more fun than Carlos had expected. He hadn't spent all that much time around kids and it would be nice to be able to praise Janice's intelligence to Cecil. "It sounds like you really paid attention to that book! I bet learning about different kinds of corn snakes would be a good way to get familiar with genetics. Do you want to spend more time looking at the microscope or do you want to start making ice cream?"

Janice looked torn for a moment, but they'd had a mission she was looking forward to completing. "Thank you Rebecca," she remembered to say, before returning to Carlos' side. "Can we make the ice cream now?"

He'd assembled everything they'd need while Janice was talking to Rebecca. The durian looked like it would take a machete to open. Fortunately, they kept a few in the lab; Night Vale had no shortage of things that needed to be fended off. "Janice, is there a special way to cut this open?"

She was looking at the machete with admiration. "You could cut it open really quick with that! I got a knife when I joined the Girl Scouts but it takes a lot longer. You can just hack it in half."

It sounded simple enough. Carlos swung the machete, and the feel of the durian giving way was viscerally satisfying. Then he started to smell it. The odor was foul, like the liquid at the bottom of a dumpster full of rotting onions. "Augh - I'm sorry, Janice, this one must have gone bad-"

"That's what durian is supposed to smell like," she said happily.

"That's durian all right," Rebecca called from her microscope. "My ex-boyfriend was a big fan of the stuff."

"Is your uncle Cecil going to be all right with this in his apartment?" Carlos was beginning to understand why Steve Carlsberg would object to the stuff.

"Uncle Cecil loves durian," Janice said happily. "I wouldn't know about it if he hadn't let me try some." She pinched a bit of the soft yellowish interior and lifted it to her mouth happily. The texture looked a bit like soft cheese. "Are you going to try some?"

"Do it for science!" Rebecca teased, without looking up from the microscope.

Cursing Rebecca in his thoughts, he forced a smile. "I probably should, if it's a favorite of Cecil's," he said, and took hold of the slippery stuff. It smelled much stronger up close. With an effort of will, he put it in his mouth, and the rotting-onion odor became a rotting-onion taste.

It must have showed on his face. "You don't like it," Janice said sadly.

"More for you and Cecil," Carlos said cheerfully. "Let's make this ice cream." He'd assembled the ingredients and tools while she'd been talking to Rebecca. "You pour in the sugar and I'll add the cream, then I'll put in the vanilla and you can put in the durian."

They mixed everything in a big metal bowl and then Carlos handed Janice a pair of safety goggles and thick gloves. "Now it's time to add the cold," he said. This part would be fun.

Eyes wide and curious, Janice put on the goggles and gloves. "What are we going to _do_?"

"Liquid nitrogen," Carlos told her, gratified by her awed expression. "I'll need you to keep stirring and I'll pour it in slowly. Does that sound okay? Just keep stirring and don't stop until I say."

She nodded eagerly, the goggles hiding her face, and began stirring. Carlos donned goggles and gloves as well and picked up the insulated metal cylinder he'd prepared earlier. Opening it carefully, he poured the clear liquid into the bowl, clouds of cold vapor billowing up around them.

"This is _so cool_!" Janice gasped, but remembered to keep stirring. "I heard about liquid nitrogen on TV but I never thought I'd see it. This is gonna be the most awesome ice cream ever!"

Her reaction was gratifying, and Carlos realized he was enjoying babysitting. "It's certainly the quickest way to make it," he said diplomatically, never wanting to taste durian again. The liquid nitrogen poured, he nodded in approval. "Let's pack it up now and go to your uncle's place. I think I have a nice surprise for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check YouTube for videos of people tasting durian for the first time and people using liquid nitrogen to make ice cream!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cecil brings home dinner, and Janice tells him about her day.

The ride to Cecil's apartment from the lab was a quick one. Janice seemed unsurprised that Carlos had a key. At the sound of the door, there was an echoing rumble from the bedroom that somehow managed to sound plaintive - Khoshekh had heard them enter and didn't want to be alone anymore. Without stopping to ask, Janice headed into the bedroom and came back holding Khoshekh, carefully avoiding the impressive spine ridges poking up through his ginger coat. A bandage still covered the empty place where one eye had been, but apart from that he was healing well. The rumble that passed for his purr filled the apartment.

"You love cats too?" Carlos asked, although it was obvious.

"I love most animals," Janice said, delicately scratching under Khoshekh's chin. His remaining eye closed and he tilted his head back in bliss.

It was an admirable trait, Carlos supposed, even if he could feel his eyes itching already. "I was thinking we'd save most of the ice cream for you and Cecil to have after dinner, but would you like to have a little bit now and watch some of the old version of _Cosmos_ you've heard of?"

"The old _Cosmos_ that Steve never saw?" Janice's eyes sparkled. "Yeah! And I can see the brand new one on Sunday!"

Since Janice had an armful of rumbling cat, Carlos scooped her a small bowl of ice cream before tracking down the thick DVD boxset. He'd been watching it with Cecil so it was easy to locate. He slipped the first disc into the player and sat down on the couch in time to see Khoshekh sniff the ice cream dubiously, steal a lick before Janice could stop him, and scrunch up his face with feline disdain.

Janice, however, was delighted with her treat. "It's so creamy and smooth! Thank you, Carlos. This is really good. I missed my favorite flavor so much. I still miss White Sand but this helps me remember it like it used to be."

 _Ouch_. Carlos wasn't sure what to say to that. He patted her shoulder gently as he sat down on the couch. "You're welcome, Janice. I'm pretty sure everyone misses White Sand. Are you ready for _Cosmos_?"

"Oh, yes please!"

The tension evaporated as the show started. Carlos had been too young to really absorb the series when it first aired, but had checked out VHS copies from the library over and over again when he was a little older and bought it on DVD as soon as he could despite the price tag. It would be interesting to see what Janice thought of it. He was afraid she would find it a bit slow compared to the new series, but she was watching it with fascination, making brief comments ("Oooh, I like his voice", "His ship is so neat!") and then falling silent again.

Until they reached the bit about Eratosthenes.

"He was a _librarian_?" she shrieked in alarm.

Carlos paused the video. "I know how scary librarians are here," he said, trying to be reassuring. He'd had the same conversation with Cecil when they watched this together, but Cecil was older and a little more aware that not every place was the same as his hometown. "But in every other place I've been or even heard of, librarians are just people. They can be stern and if you make too much noise they will tell you to be quiet, but I've never heard of a librarian from anywhere but Night Vale hurting anyone. My word as a scientist. But he's going to talk about a whole library later. Do you want to watch something else instead? This isn't supposed to be scary and I don't want you to be upset."

Janice looked uncertain for a moment, then set her chin firmly. "I trust you. As a scientist. And librarians on TV can't hurt me. Especially ones that lived a long time ago."

"All right," he said, "I'm going to start it again, just let me know if you want me to pause it or stop it, okay?"

"Okay!" She seemed to have relaxed again. Khoshekh's thunderous rumble of a purr was a bit comforting, and he filled her lap, a good first line of defense against surprise librarians. She nodded firmly, and they continued watching the episode, occasionally pausing when Janice had a question. She gaped in astonishment at the animated mock-up of the Library of Alexandria. "That makes Marcus Vansten's fancy library look like a little shack!"

Carlos chuckled. "It does, doesn't it? And it was a lot more useful!"

There was the sound of a key in the lock as the credits were rolling and Cecil came in carrying a pizza. Carlos noticed the weariness and frustration in his eyes before his expression warmed and softened at the sight of Janice, Khoshekh, and Carlos waiting to welcome him home. Janice help up her arms and spread them wide, barely giving him a chance to cross the threshold before demanding a hug.

"I got to look in a microscope and Carlos made durian ice cream and we watched the old _Cosmos_ that even Steve hasn't seen and Khoshekh sat in my lap and purred and purred!"

Cecil bent to hug her, obviously pleased by her cheerful greeting. "You didn't see the one with that, um, _place_ in Alexandria, did you?"

"I did, I did! Carlos explained to me that most librarians in other places are like ordinary people and I had an idea - a _theory_ ," she said with pride. "I think the librarians in Night Vale _remember_ what happened to the Library of Alexandria and that's what makes them so dangerous."

Carlos was impressed - for all he knew she could be right. Possibilities were broader in Night Vale.

"It sounds like you're really picking up a lot of science! Do you want to watch another episode all together while we eat? I got half with grated carrots and walnuts, just for you."

"Thank you, Uncle Cecil! Khoshekh too?"

"Khoshekh too," Cecil said fondly, "As long as Carlos doesn't mind."

Itchy eyes notwithstanding, Carlos couldn't bring himself to say no; he felt sorry for the injured animal and knew he enjoyed human company, and seemed to be enjoying Janice's adoring attention. He was pleased (and a bit relieved) that the other half of the pizza was eggplant and garlic, one of the few combinations on Big Rico's regular menu he really liked.

After setting the pizza on the coffee table, Cecil fetched plates, cups, and soda from the kitchen before Carlos could get up to help. "Is that a new outfit?" he called as he headed back into the living room. "It's cute."

"I needed new school clothes," Janice said in agreement. "It's kind of boring but at least the shirt is pink."

"It's a good thing you're with Uncle Cecil for the weekend then," Cecil said, passing out plates and cups and sitting on Janice's other side. He scratched the top of Khoshekh's head, eliciting another loud rumble. "We'll snazz those right up."

"Can we use the bedazzler? And the puffy paint?" She bounced in her seat excitedly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!"

Pizza and _Cosmos_ crowded together on the sofa was surprisingly comfortable and familial, and Carlos found himself enjoying it far more than he expected to. He tried a bite of carrot-and-walnut pizza at Janice's insistence (not as bad as durian, but nothing he wanted to eat again) and gave her a bite of eggplant-and-garlic in return. Khoshekh begged persistently for morsels and was given tiny bites of cheese and crust to mollify him. Janice continued to be fascinated by _Cosmos_ , although she frowned a little at Carl Sagan's mundane explanation of the Japanese samurai-faced crabs ("Couldn't they be guardian spirits _too_?"). Cecil agreed, and Carlos declined to argue. He was a lot more accepting these days. Carlos served up dessert. The delight on Cecil and Janice's faces was well worth the smell.

"I helped Carlos make this! He used _science_ to make it and it was _so cool_!"

Cecil looked down at his bowl, impressed, and let the next bite melt in his mouth slowly. "It's really delicious! You must have been an awfully good helper."

"She was," Carlos agreed. And she had, stirring nice and evenly. She deserved credit for her part in the process.

By the time the ice cream was finished, Janice was glassy-eyed and yawning. Cecil sent her to change into her nightgown and Carlos helped him to put sheets and blankets on the couch so she'd have a place to sleep. While she was out of the room, Cecil stopped fighting as hard to keep the weariness out of his eyes. "Stay?" he asked quietly. "I'll make breakfast."

Carlos nodded, squeezing Cecil's hand.

Despite protests that she wasn't sleepy, not really, Janice was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Khoshekh settled on her chest, his small nose touching her chin. Carlos and Cecil retired to the bedroom in unspoken agreement and lay in Cecil's comfortable bed, chastely spooning. Cecil pressed his face against Carlos' back, arms tight around his waist.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Carlos asked softly.

Cecil shook his head. "I'm just enjoying _now_ ," he murmured. "Thank you, for being kind to Janice. I can tell she likes you."

"I like her. I wouldn't mind watching her again. In fact..."

"Hmmmm?"

"When we get our new place. We should get a new couch, one that folds out into a bed. Or even a guest room. And it should be a first-floor apartment, or maybe a ranch house. So she'll be more comfortable when she comes to stay."

Cecil kissed the back of Carlos' neck. "You have such good ideas."

And then all was quiet, the apartment a small oasis of peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the end is a bit rushed - I figured we all need a little fluff right now!


End file.
